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by oa335 1273 days ago
> Evolving resistance comes at a cost for bacteria and over time they might loose resistance against previous antibiotics.

This is known as the "ecological fallacy".

> reversion to sensitivity is neither an immediate nor necessary outcome of selection simply because a resistant pathogen is no longer in an antibiotic-laden environment [1]

[1] "Why Do Antibiotics Exist" - https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.01966-21

2 comments

...that is not how I've ever heard "the ecological fallacy" used, and this is what I do for a living.
What is your line of work and how is concept of “the ecological fallacy” used there?
Epidemiology and disease ecology, particularly of antimicrobial resistant pathogens.

The Wikipedia entry for it gives the definition I've always seen: "An ecological fallacy is a formal fallacy in the interpretation of statistical data that occurs when inferences about the nature of individuals are deduced from inferences about the group to which those individuals belong."

My mistake, this is not an example of “ecological fallacy”, but instead a line of reasoning that explains the assumptions that led to an “ecological fallacy” type of error.